MetaUndead
by ZoologyKaM
Summary: Danny Fenton, of Fenton Projects, was discontented with his life and bored with getting everything he wanted. When one day he runs away, he finds himself at the docks. His body begins changing. Whenever he uses his powers it's as if he's dying. Will he be able to find help from the self-proclaimed superhero Static and his partner Gear, or will these new ghost powers consume him?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's/Note: Welcome to a new crossover! Of course we all know of the similarities with names that exist between Danny Phantom and Static Shock (i.e. Fenton Projects in Static Shock/ Fenton Works in Danny Phantom; Tucker Foley/Richie Foley) So a crossover of these two doesn't take a genius to write. _

_However this is a bit of an AU crossover. Danny has completely new life circumstances. You'll see similar characters but there's more of the Static Shock canon than there is the DP canon. Either way! Hope you like it. _

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Begin with a Ghostly Bang**

**Fenton Projects- 12 pm Friday August 15:  
**"Be ready for anything. Nowadays, it's hard to know who you can trust; what with all these bang babies popping up all over the place. Those freaks destroy everything they touch. They're evil monsters. One day there's an ice storm and the next some flame head is blowing up cars."

"That Static guy isn't evil. He's a hero."

"A living technology disruptor more like it. I suppose you think his partner is a hero also. That Gear boy has technology that the government can't even dream up but he's hoarding it all for himself. Nothing but a future terrorist."

Danny sighed. He was used to hearing the same thing from his dad, every day since the famous Big Bang, it had been Bang babies destroy this… or bang babies ruined that. Danny was sick of it. But it wasn't just because of the constant rejection of others, but also because he was getting harder and harder for him to hide the fact that he had been down at the docks on that night. He had only been a block away when the gases exploded. He'd always been the type to help those in need, so when he heard the yelling he rushed over. Only to find himself unable to breath.

Every day since then had been a nightmare. It started with his body growing cold, his heart would seem to slow and even sometimes stop completely, almost as if he were dying. For a while that's all it was. After a few weeks, Danny began to notice occasions where he would reach out to grab something but his hand would slip right through. Once he even walked into his father's study to speak with him, and his father spoke back, but when Jack Fenton looked up he became angry thinking that Danny was hiding from him. He couldn't see that his son was standing right before his eyes.

It had only gotten worse as months passed.

Danny shivered when he was finally dismissed. The pointless lecture had been longer than usual and he'd been forced to sit still, his heart beat was getting back to speed slower than ever. But weirder still was how light his body felt. Like air and gravity had no effect on him.

The teenager shook himself trying to brush off the notion. "I'm not going to disappear. It's all in my head." Danny made his way down to the ground floor of the towering apartment building. Sure it was nice living in the penthouse on the top floor, as long as the elevator was working that is. He was headed for the front door when his mother, Maddie, walked in and brushed past him with barely a hello. Danny stuffed his hands in his pockets, telling himself that he was used to being ignored.

"Don't mind her. She got some bad news from the gallery." Samantha, Maddie's personal assistant, smiled at him. Her arms were loaded with boxes and bags from her boss's long day of binge shopping. Her black hair fluttered behind her as she rushed into the closing elevator.

With his parents in a bad mood, Danny saw no reason to stick around. He headed out into the city, wandering wherever he felt like. Eventually he found his way to the city park. Since it was empty he went to one of the swings and sat down. He fell right through the plastic seat.

Grumbling, Danny picked himself up and brushed the mulch off his back and hair. "I bet Static never had a problem controlling his powers…" He sighed and tried sitting on the swing again, this time making sure he wouldn't fall through it. He swung his legs back and forth, slowly at first, then with more force as he built up the rhythm of swinging back and forth.

So what if it would look silly for a teenager to be playing on the swings. It was the only thing that really made him feel free. The air flowing past his face, where he could forget everything, even gravity.

Gravity?

Once the thought hit him, Danny realized that his decent back to the ground was getting slower and slower with each pump of his legs. Suddenly scared, he dug his heels into the ground, but the feeling didn't stop. His body continued losing mass and he tightened his grip on the chain.

XXX

"Alright pops! I'm on my way already jeeze…" Virgil threw the phone down on his bed the moment he hung up. "First school, then Hotstreak, now this. What else can go wrong today?" He asked, grabbing his coat and rushing out the door.

Virgil was running past the park when he heard the one thing that he didn't want to hear at that particular moment.

"HELP!"

"Oh great… Now what?" He looked around but didn't see any rising smoke. He was about to leave when he heard it again, coming from the park. "Dad's gonna kill me…" he muttered. A quick duck into an alley and he changed into his superhero gear. When he flew out he realized that the yells were coming from above him. "What in the…"

Up in the air a boy with black hair was swinging his arms around wildly, desperately reaching for anything to hold on to. Only problem was… There was nothing there.

"Hang on! I got ya!" Static yelled as he flew up and reached for the boy's hand. Somehow he missed and his fist closed on air. If it was possible, the boy looked even more freaked out by Static missing his hand than by being 100 feet in the air. Static swung his hand up again and grabbed the boys forearm. Carefully he pulled the both of them back to the ground.

"Yo man. Are you okay?"

"I.. I think so." He was breathing heavily and gripping the grass tightly in his fists. But that was understandable after what he'd just gone through. Virgil knew that he was in for a lecture later but he couldn't just leave.

"Any idea what just happened there?" The boy just kept staring at the ground. It was all Virgil could do to not tap his foot with impatience.

"I… I don't…" He hesitated then looked up at Static. "I think I'm a bang baby."

Of course it would be something like that. It couldn't have been just an invisible balloon or something? _Pops is gonna kill me…_ "You think? Were you down by the docks that night?" The boy nodded. "Okay… well is this the first you've seen of your powers?"

The boy rolled himself over to sit on the grass. "No... I've been feeling weird for months… but nothing like that."

"Feeling weird how?"

"Like I feel really cold all the time… and sometimes it feels like my heart isn't beating…"

A bang baby turned zombie? Now that was a first. "Anything else?"

"Sometimes my hands and body will slip right through solid objects like they aren't there, and one time I turned invisible."

"Wow. That's quite a list. How good is your control over moments like that?"

"I don't know… Never tried…"

He looks younger than me. Not that I haven't seen metahumans younger than me but they can't usually keep it from their parents. "Have you talked to anyone else about this yet? A doctor? Your parents?" the boy shook his head. Great… No where to just drop him off at. "Alright well I'll take you to the hospital and-"

"No!" … "I mean… Sorry… I can't go to a hospital. My dad would kill me if he found out."

Static looked skeptical, "I'm sure he would understand given the circumstances."

The boy shook his head. "No I mean… he'd kill me if he found out I was a bang baby. He hates metahumans."

"Well yeah I get that some of them are bad, but-"

"There is no 'but' with my dad." He ran his hands through his hair and had a pained expression. Virgil decided better to not press the matter any further. He'd already learned from experience that upsetting a bang baby who had little to no control over their powers was a bad idea.

"Alright then. I'll call my partner and we'll see if he can figure out anything." He pulled the shock vox out of his pocket, "Static to Gear, do you read me?"

"Sup Static."

"Mind headed out to city park west side by the swings? I got a friend you need to meet."

"This friend have a name?"

"Uhh.." Static looked back at the boy.

The boy shrugged. "My name's Danny."

"Well nice to meet you Danny. You heard him Gear." Virgil turned away from Danny just enough to whisper, "Before you come though mind calling my Dad at the community center? I get the feeling this is going to be a long night."

* * *

A

_A/N2: Okay! _

_So this was a short trial chapter, just to get the base plotline written and started. I have a lot of stories like that. Because I have so many stories I tend to not continue them unless either I'm in love with the characters/plot or enough people request a continuation. I've had this story sitting on my hard drive for some time and I just wanted to post it to see what people thought of it. _

_Once again I'd like to remind the readers that this is a __**Trial Chapter**__! This story __will not be continued unless__ it receives significant __reviews or favorites__ saying that people want to continue reading it. If there's not enough then I will most likely never continue it as I already have too many stories on my plate. _

_Review please!_


	2. Chapter 2

**City Park – 6:30 pm** \- Friday August 15

"Gear!" Static called out as he landed by his green-cladded superhero partner. "Figure anything out?" He'd just been chewed out by his dad for the usual list of irresponsibility, and had nearly been grounded when he asked to "stay over at Richie's place for a group project," since that was the only story they could think of. Apparently Richie's cousin's lost cat wasn't a good enough excuse.

"I'm not sure honestly…" Gear held a scanner over Danny's hand where some green slime had appeared after his first few attempts at controlling his powers.

"What is it?" Static and Danny watched Gear as Backpack beeped confirming its previous analysis. Richie knew there were no errors in the scans, but the chemical composition made no sense. It was impossible for any living matter to produce unless… but he would sound completely crazy if he actually said that.

"Is it bad?" Danny asked nervously.

Gear continued to stare at the green substance. "Well I wouldn't say bad. Though I wouldn't say good either."

"So what is it then?" Static asked. He was starting to worry for the kid. Far too many bang babies had lost their bodies and some even died because of the rapidly changing chemicals.

"Well…" Gear scratched his head wondering how to answer. "My scans show that the atomic structure of the substance is minutely radioactive." At this Danny freaked out and quickly wiped his hand on the grass. Gear quickly amended his statement, "I didn't mean in the normal spectrum of radiation."

Static had stepped back also. He was relieved to hear that it wasn't dangerous, but now he felt irritated that Richie could never just get straight to the point. "Then what did you mean?"

"Well the only thing radiating from this is a single length of light waves."

"So it's green. We already knew that."

"You don't get it. Normally the color of an object is based on light that reflects off of it. This stuff is producing that wavelength of light on its own." Gear knelt down to scan the substance a third time.

"You mean it glows. I got a couple of glow sticks at home that do that. You saying those are radioactive to?" Virgil knew the question was stupid but the annoyed look on Richie's face was too good to pass up.

"Those glow because of a chemical reaction. Unlike this stuff which has a completely stable chemical composition."

Danny stared off at the street lamps while the two heroes bantered back and forth. His head was spinning. How exactly did he produce something that even Gear was having trouble explaining? If he tried to control his powers at home and some of this goop showed up, what would his family say? …Who was he kidding… They probably wouldn't even notice. Unless he was getting lectured they didn't care what he did.

Danny turned back to the conversation as Static seemed to be losing his patience. "Gear would you just spit it out already."

"It's Ectoplasm."

"What…" Danny blinked at him. "You mean like the stuff from ghostbusters? You're joking right?"

Virgil stood with his hands on his sides, staring at the green goo. "You did say it felt like your heart was stopping."

"Yeah but… What does that mean?" The glance between the superheroes was all the answer Danny needed. "I'm dying?"

"Maybe not." The smile that crossed Gear's face was unnerving. Not because of how it looked but rather because Virgil knew it was the same smile Richie always had before a long brain-blast explanation. "Maybe you're becoming Un-dead. Like a ghost or zombie."

"How is that any better?!"

Gear thought about it but couldn't come up with any answer, "Uhh…"

"It's better because that means we have time to get you to a hospital to make sure your powers stabilize."

"NO. No hospitals." With his outburst, Danny's eyes flashed a startling shade of neon green.

This was going to be the hardest battle with this kid, or so Virgil thought. But there had to be some way to convince him. "What if we can go without your dad finding out? We know the guys in the lab working with the big bang gas and they wouldn't object to working with another bang baby with a secret identity." Danny's expression eased up a little.

"Yeah," Gear chimed in, "I'm sure we can get you a super costume and head over there before anyone notices you're gone."

Danny sighed and mumbled that no one would notice anyway. Shivering, he got to his feet. Okay. Where to?"

XXX

It was quite a sight seeing two super heroes in a Costume store tossing different articles of clothing to a nervous looking kid. Gear set up backpack to scramble camera signals the moment they entered, and Static had politely asked the people in the store to ignore them. Then when politeness didn't work, he magnetized a number of clothing racks to create a nice barrier to hide them from view.

"How about this?" Danny stepped out in a trench coat and sunglasses.

"It's perfect, just like a 90s movie cop." Gear laughed digging back into the racks. "Here, try this one." He tossed over a superman cape. "If you're going old school do it right." Danny raised an eyebrow and dropped the cape on the floor.

"Anything good up there?"

Static floated at the upper level of their little "wall" digging through jumpsuits of assorted colors. "Only if you really wanted that ghostbusters feel, or maybe lady gaga." He landed by Gear with plain mask, thinking it would at least help. He held it out to Danny who was leaning against the changing room wall holding his head. "Don't worry even with something this small they won't recognize you."

"It's not that… I… I'm feeling really nauseous."

"Probably just nerves. Change back into your normal clothes and we'll just get the mask."

"Right…" Danny pulled the curtain shut behind him. Static and Gear went about returning the clothing racks and rejected costumes to their rightful places. "Okay ready." The curtain opened and Static and Gear's jaws hit the floor.

"Woah…"

"You said it…"

Danny stared between the two of them. "What? Is there something on my face?" He turned back to the dressing room mirror. His once black hair was now shining silver, and his blue eyes had turned green. "What the heck!" He ran his hands through his hair frantically, even squished his face a bit in the hopes that he was dreaming, or at least wasn't melting.

"Yo D! Relax." But heavy breathing was as close to relaxing as Danny could get. Gear grabbed backpack and scanned him. "Scans show you're fine. No abnormalities."

"My hair is white!"

"But that hasn't affected your physical condition."

"My hair is WHITE!

Static shook his head, "Yes it's white. But you're a bang baby. Stuff like that happens sometimes. Take Hot-streak for example. His hair gets set on fire, yet he never ends up bald." He decided not to mention the other bang babies who Had gone bald. "But you know." Flying back to the rack of jumpsuits, he grabbed a black and silver one. "Here try this on."

Danny said nothing but slowly took the suit. He came out a minute later in the full body suit and mask. Silver which perfectly matched Danny's hair covered his neck, hands, and feet. On anyone else it would have looked really lame, but if a ghost were ever a superhero, Virgil knew that this is how it would dress. "Ah but. Lose the mask. It's hard to recognize you with the hair as it is."

"I don't suppose you have cash on you?" Gear asked, putting the last clown costume back in place.

Static stuck his hand in his pockets and turned them out. "How much do you think a paperclip and a stick of gum would get us?"

"Don't worry. I got it." Danny grabbed his wallet from his pants pocket. The girl organizing things behind the cash register looked like she had been waiting for that moment. She jumped up to help, smiling shyly at the three teen heroes. Danny pulled a $50 out and handed it to her. "You can just keep the change. Sorry about the mess." The jumpsuit was only $23.45 but it was to make up for the next request. "Just keep this event to yourself."

The girl nodded. She was grinning broadly. Danny had a new fan. He made his way to the door where the two superheroes were waiting.

"You give a big enough tip there? What are you some rich kid?" Richie laughed but he was wishing he had that kind of money to spend.

"Maybe it was a bit much," Danny dodged the second question by asking where they were headed to next.

"We can fly over to the bang baby wing of the hospital." Static pulled out his flying disk and pushed open the door.

"You know it might help if he could fly to. Maybe we should teach him."

"I don't know… Maybe we should get straight to the hospital."

Danny tried to avoid noticing the stares and the crowd that was beginning to form around them. One person called out to Static and Gear. "Who's this new kid? New partner?" Static used some energy to pull the camera away from the guy. It was amazing how accustomed to the attention they were. The way Gear handled things while Static grabbed Danny and took off, it was incredible.

"We got news vans incoming." Gear announced when he caught up with them. Static could see the Channel 8 News van from the corner of his eye.

"Where's the nearest traffic jam?"

Backpack quickly spit out the gps traffic data. "Twenty first street."

Danny hung on tight to Static. He didn't even care if it was weird to be hugging another guy. Fifty feet of open air was the only thing on his mind. "Shouldn't we land?" He yelled the moment they had lost the news van.

Static slowed. He knew the news crews would be checking out the local hospitals for any new bang babies. They were annoyingly obsessive like that. "Gear, let's head to the junk yard. Lay low for a bit."

"Right behind you Static." By the time they landed, Gear was already picking up different reports from both the news and the police of the new bang baby sighted with the cities favorite heroes. "Well looks like a hospital is out of the question. For a little while anyway." Danny didn't care, he was just glad to be back on the ground.

"Is my hair still white?"

"As snow." Gear laughed.

"Great…"

Static looked around at the old broken cars. "Since we can't go anywhere right now, why don't we get some work done on controlling your powers?"

"Great so I can get covered in that radioactive slime again?"

"Well your other option is floating away when we aren't around to catch you."

Static had a point so Danny gave it a try. It would be well over an hour before he could fly right side up and control his intangibility. Luckily the night was warm and they had plenty of time.

XXX

The landlord banged his fist against the door. "This is the last straw McLain! If you don't pay the rent for the last month I'll have you out of here before you can even pack your bags!"

The young woman groaned and rolled over under the covers. She'd been feeling sick for months but last night she finally found out why. Her head pounded from the hangover from her celebration. That man saw her come in late in the morning, he should know she was hung over, but he just kept pounding away. Grumbling she reached for her guitar, and lightly brushed for her fingers across the instrument.

A massive explosion blew the door apart. The landlord fell backwards down the stairs and didn't move. Amber quickly stuffed things in her bag. Her guitar was the last thing she grabbed before rushing out the door.

* * *

_A/N: Well guys I'm surprised that so many people left reviews on a crossover story. I'd like to try and continue it but I'll need to know that people are actually reading it and care about it being continued. No reviews on a chapter might mean I drop it. Sadly I'm busy, and this story is fun but not my priority. I'm here to please, and will continue with reviews._

_Love you guys! Thanks for reading!_

**_Side note: YES I KNOW IT IS EMBER! _**_ But it is also a widespread head-canon that her human/living name (you know, before she became a ghost) was Amber. This is what I'm going with in this story because Ember sounds like a pretty weird name for a real person. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

**Dakota Library 5****th****floor- 3pm**  
Danny gasped looking around for the fifth time that morning. It wasn't even cold in the library but he felt himself shivering in his hoodie, and the place just gave him an overall bad feeling. Finally the clock neared 3:30pm, so he returned his book to the shelf and headed down to the lobby to meet Static and Gear. Well… not both of them. Apparently Static had something going on with his dad so it would just be Gear helping him to train today, and they weren't really meeting in the library, but rather the back alley just behind the library.

He had slimed a couple of books so when he walked back the cameras in the lobby he pulled his hood down over his face. He thought about trying to turn invisible but it might be weird if the cameras saw him enter but not leave.

"What's taking him so long?" Danny mumbled to himself after yet another involuntary gasp.

At just that moment Gear skated around the corner. "I'm sorry. Was I keeping you waiting?" He asked in a more sarcastic than not tone. He laughed when he saw how startled Danny was by his sudden appearance. "Chill bro. You look like you've just seen a ghost," he teased.

"Haha… very funny." That uneasy feeling from before seemed to be getting worse. "Does anything seem strange to you? Around here I mean. This place…"

"No. Why?"

Danny rubbed his arms feeling cold. "I don't know. Something just feels… wrong… here."

"Wrong huh?" Gear skated forward so Backpack could scan Danny. "Something with your powers?"

"I don't think so… I –gasp– ." Gear jumped and pulled out a zap-cap, turning to where Danny had been staring, but there was nothing there. "Sorry!" Danny quickly ducked his head in embarrassment. "I don't know why that keeps happening. It's been like that since I got here."

Gear glanced back at him. "What do you mean here?"

"Umm… I guess it started just before I got to the library." Danny watched Gear circle him with backpack then skate to both ends of the alley and glance around the corners. "Something wrong?"

"I'm not exactly sure yet, but I saw you do that yesterday when I first flew over. I thought I had just startled you. But maybe… it was something else."

"Like what? A new bullet point to my weird list of powers?"

"It's always a possibility." Backpack beeped with an inconclusive set of data, which really didn't help much, but at least Danny's DNA hadn't destabilized any further. Maybe Virgil's paranoia about getting this kid to a hospital would end up being just that. Better safe than sorry. "Well are you ready to head to that hospital now?"

Danny was still glancing around nervously. Something… was just wrong… the feeling kind of seemed to be coming from the rooftops… but how could he possibly know that? The roof of the library… it made her nervous… but why? He wasn't even up there. "Is there anything on the roof of the library?"

Gear squinted behind his mask, looking up. "Other than some crumbling gargoyles? Not that I know of. Why?"

"Let's go check it out." Something was up there. Somehow he knew, and it made him nervous… and yet… oddly excited. Danny could still only manage to float up slowly but he heard Gear's jets behind him as he guided himself to the top.

The rooftop was a soft dome over the main hall while a smaller flat walk out area lead to all the gargoyles. The building had to be nearly 100 years old by the looks of the erosion. "Looks like there's nothing up here." Gear commented at the emptiness of the landing, but Danny wasn't so sure.

_Where's it coming from? _It was a lot stronger now. He was definitely close… but where… ~Gasp~ "BEHIND!" Danny yelled right as Backpack beeped. Talon swooped down on Gear, kicking him in the back.

"Just when I thought I'd found a place where you jerks never check." She landed a few feet away and crouched on the ground, "Don't you have anything better to do Gear?" Gear rubbed his neck and pushed himself up.

"Aww I'm touched3 Here I thought you guys could only ever remember Static's name." He smirked grabbing a zap-cap from his belt. Talon rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. I'm not bothering anyone. Can't you just leave me alone for once?"

"No can do. County lockup still wants you back from the last time you broke out."

It was like they'd done this banter a hundred times. Then again, they probably had. Still it fascinated Danny. And despite knowing that she was the source of the "wrongness," Talon still looked attractive in a feathery sort of way. _But why does she seem familiar… "_Do I know you?" The other two super-powered teens had almost forgotten he was there.

"Who's he? Another loser hero?"

"Something like that." Gear pulled back, ready to throw the zap-cap. "Last Chance Talon." Richie always felt hesitant to take Talon in. Static felt the same. She wasn't bad, she was just trapped. She felt she had no other choice but to team with Ebon and the others because the gas had messed with her appearance. "Come in quietly and I'm sure the judge will go easier on you." It's true… she wasn't hurting anyone this time. But now that he'd found her, he didn't have much choice but to take her in. Actually, how Had Danny found her?

Gear's mind was whirling as always with all the different possibilities.

"Fat chance." Talon shrieked like the harpie she'd become and blew the zap-cap right out of Gear's hand. The sound cracked the head off one of the gargoyles. A few screams came from the street below.

_Whoops! Time's up. _Gear activated his jets, took off and did a flip over Talon. He threw a smoke grenade from above then a zapcap into the smoke as he landed. He found his mark. Talon fell to the ground struggling against the coils.

"Let –Me –Go!"

"Sit tight. The police are on their way." Packpack was already making the call. "Hey D, I wouldn't get to close," Gear warned as Danny inched towards Talon. "She's restrained but that doesn't make her less- Hey! What are you-?!" Before Gear could stop him, Danny had touched the coils and phased them right through Talon.

Talon wasted no time. She leapt to the edge of the building. "Thanks for the help. Later." She dropped off the side of the building and dove straight down into the subway.

"Dude!" Gear grabbed Danny by the shoulder. "What was that!?" Danny ducked his head. He'd never seen Gear so furious. Even in all the news broadcasts and battles he'd read about, Gear was supposed to be the level headed one. It was Static that occasionally got mad. Never Gear. Danny second guessed his thought of letting Talon go.

"I… I don't know…"

"You Don't Know! You've just assisted a criminal! You know what that means right!?" His yelling didn't stop when Danny tried to pull away. "It means you're now a criminal! I have to take you to jail!"

"But I just-"

"You just what?" He calmed down a bit seeing how freaked out Danny was. _If he joins Ebon, Static and I are going to be in some serious trouble…_ Gear tried not to show he was actually nervous. They still didn't know the full extent of Danny's powers. But with intangibility and invisibility…

"I wanted to see if it was really her."

There couldn't have been a more confusing answer. "Well of course it was really her."

"No- I mean I wanted to see if that weird feeling was coming from her."

Well it didn't excuse him, but Richie was intrigued. "And… was it?"

"Well… Sort of… but it's also…"

Just a bit more prodding. "Also...?"

"It's also you. Though not as strong. I sort of remember feeling like this around Static yesterday but I'm not sure… I was kind of distracted by learning I'm a bang baby."

Gear folded his arms processing this bit of info. "So what is it? A Meta-human sensor or something?"

"Maybe... It could be why I've been gasping all morning. Talon was on the roof of the library. And just earlier I gasped when you rollerbladed into the alley." It was a farfetched theory, but so was the idea of meta-human ghost powers.

Gear counted off on hand, "Flight, Invisibility, Intagibility, Meta-sense. How many more you going to add to that list?" Danny shrugged. "~sigh~ Wait here." He walked off a little ways before pulling out his shock vox. "Hey Virg you there?"

"I'm here Richie, what's up?"

"There's a new development with you-know-what."

Virgil's tone grew serious, "I'll finish things up here then head over."

XXX

Those stupid restraints always ruffled her feathers, and they'd keep hurting till she got the chance to stop and preen them. Well… things could be worse, if that new kid hadn't done… whatever the heck it was he did. What had he done anyway? It was like those coils had just disappeared… but they also hadn't. She had felt something brush against her, and weirder still, inside her. Talon shivered at the thought.

-clickaclacka-clickaclacka- A train rumbled in the tunnel. Talon dropped down by a nearby service door. Weird though. A train had just passed by not a minute before... and this one was approaching really slowly. "Could this day get any weirder?"

"Oh I'm sure it can."

Talon jumped as a girl's head popped through the wall. "Ahh!" She jumped back and shrieked at the wall. The floating head dropped into the floor as the hypersonic waves hit. "Did I get it…?"

"Nope, but that's a nice set of vocals you got there." The head floated up through the floor followed by its body. The girl looked to be 18 but it was hard to tell. Her skin was very pale even in the dim light of the tunnel, but she had a lot of make-up on. A dark purple electric guitar hung on her back. Her blue lipstick shimmered when she spoke. "You should totally be one of my backup singers!"

"What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"Call me Ember, and I'm talking about a band silly. You gotta admit that MetaHumans sounds like one bad ass rock back." Talon had no response to that. The girl was blocking her way out, and she couldn't spread her wings in the service doorway.

"I've already got a crew, thanks anyway." She tried to walk past her but the girl shot out her arm and pressed her hand to the wall.

"Never interrupt me. I'm not a fan of stage crasher." The girl reached behind her and grabbed her guitar, swinging it around front.

What's with that cocky attitude? Talon didn't know what kind of powers this new metahuman had but she was done putting up with that high and mighty attitude. "How's this for an interruption?" She let out another supersonic burst, just a short one, but the girl jumped up as if gravity meant nothing to her and did a flip to land behind Talon.

"Listen up Feathers, I'm looking for someone and you're going to help me find him." She glared at Talon. The way she held the guitar pick next to the strings, with a firm hand, she was serious. No more fooling around. But what could she do with a stupid instrument?

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I show you what my powers can do." Ember plucked the first string. It rang lightly in the tunnel but the sound of a train approaching in the distance quickly swallowed it up. Talon wasn't sure whether to be confused or unimpressed.

"Nothing happened."

"Relax girl, You gotta set up the base before you can hit the melody!" She pulled her hand across the other three strings. A screech filled the passage and a blast of supersonic sound waved slammed into Talon. It sounded just like her own screeches but rather than just being loud, it hit her like a ton of bricks, throwing her backwords onto the tracks. CHOOOOOOO The train's horn blew, coming straight at Talon.

Talon closed her eyes and braced for the impact she couldn't avoid, but it never came.

After a few seconds the sound of the train died away. Talon opened her eyes. The tunnel was completely empty except for her and the girl. Talon was shaking. That train, it sounded so real… she would have died…

"With a strum of my guitar I can create any sound I want. But trust me when I say that's not all I can do, and unless you want to find out what else, you'll come with me, NOW."

Talon didn't waste a second getting to her feet and following the girl down the tunnel.

"You said you have a crew you roll with?"

"Yeah?"

Ember's eyes were half closed with a dark smile, "Let's find them. I think it's about time I had a full band. I'll find my guy, and we'll have some fun along the way."

_**A/N:**__ Hey guys! All my fics have been a little neglected lately due to a comic I was working on. I'm trying to get some chapters done. Actually saw a review from someone today on this story which motivated me to finish this chapter. Thanks for that review! _

_This story is going to be fun. There will be lots of twists in the DP inspiration for this. Not as much in the SS side. I've pretty much got the plot line figured out which is good for you guys because that means it will EVENTUALLY be finished. I say eventually because even if I know i'll finish, I don't know when it will be and it probably won't be soon. _

_Well anyway I love your guys reviews! Thank you so much!_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:** Hey guys! I'm really excited that so many of you are looking forward to and enjoying this story! I actually had some awesome comments that spurred me into finishing this chapter. I hope you guys like it. Actually looking at this now, I'm not sure how long this story will go, from the looks of it now it might be pretty short compared to my usual lengths, but then again I could always have more than one bad guy and make the super duo into a trio. Might be fun (and hopefully not too mary-sue-ish)! I guess it depends on how long this Actually goes. We'll just have to wait and see!_

_Until then, let me know what you guys think of the idea of having more bad guys after Ember!_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Freeman Community Center - 6:00pm Monday**

It took longer than Virgil wanted for his dad to finally let him leave. He ducked into an alley just across the street and quickly changed into his Static uniform. "Come in Gear. Where you two at?"

Gear's voice crackled over the speaker, "We're with Dr. Todd. He's checking D out now." Static double-timed it to the hospital.

He flew straight to the meta-human wing of the hospital. The security guards were used to him and Gear bringing in new bang babies; they hardly reacted as he flew by. Gear was standing outside the main examination room. The door was open and Danny and Dr. Todd were inside.

"Learn anything?" He asked when he landed.

Gear shrugged. "Nothing I didn't already know." They stepped away from the door to not cause any disturbance. "His DNA is mostly stable but when he goes intangible all the molecules in his body temporarily un-bond. It stabilizes, but who knows what could go wrong with that."

"Did he give any more info on who he is?"

"No. Less in fact. He hasn't said a word to the Doc." Gear glanced back at the room. "I've never seen anyone so afraid of being found out as a bang baby."

"He's probably got his reasons. We don't know his situation." Still… it was problematic. They couldn't be there for him all the time. "So what was the emergency?"

"He got another power." Gear was still watching the room nervously, "He can sense when another bang baby is nearby."

"Woah wait! So you mean that he knows I'm here even though I haven't gone in yet?"

Gear shook his head. "No. I doubt he can tell one bang baby apart from another. At least it didn't seem that way when he let purposely Talon go. Besides, there are a few others here for testing today."

"Hold up! What do you mean he let Talon go?!" Static's face fell as Gear explained what had happened. "He's not thinking of joining them is he?"

Gear shrugged. "In a way he was protecting himself by testing a theory. I made sure he knows how serious that was. I don't think he'll do it again." They were usually able to keep new bang babies from ending up in one gang or another, but the gas messed with everyone's heads. Even Virgil had more of a temper than he used to. "Either way it's obvious he's more scared of his family than anything else. We'll have to be careful that Ebon doesn't get a hold of that info."

Danny sighed walking out the door, "The doctor said-" he paused when he saw Static's serious expression. "Oh uhh… So… I guess you told him then?"

Static crossed his arms. "You guessed right. Man, why would you do that? You must have seen her on the news. You should know how dangerous it is for her and the others of the Metabreed to be loose."

Danny scratched the back of his head, a nervous tick or something. "Yeah… if anyone knows that it's me…"

"Then why?"

He threw his arms back. "I don't know okay! I just did it without thinking." His eyes glowed such a bright green, Gear and Static nearly dove to the side thinking lasers would spring from them.

"Yo man, calm down."

"Why should I! You two already talked me into coming here and now you're getting mad over nothing! You're not the bosses of me! You're not even Police! Just a couple of Vigilanties!" His own shout reached his ears, but all Danny heard was his father's angry voice. A judgmental tone that had so often been turned against poor people, people of other races, and even against young people, like Danny himself. He looked away from the heroes. "I'm sorry…"

Gear waved him off, "No worries. We've heard it before." Static said nothing, watching Danny warily. Gear patted Danny on the shoulder and turned him toward the exit, "Well since that's all done, how about we get you out of here." Danny smiled gratefully and the three left.

Again Danny flew with Static on his disk. This time, Static noticed that it was significantly easier to fly both of them, as if Danny hardly had any weight to him. Whether it was intentional or not, Virgil didn't care to ask.

What were they supposed to do now? This kid still wouldn't go home. He refused to as long as his hair was still white. Maybe they could try some hair dye? But would that work on a Bang Baby transformation? What other choice did they have? They couldn't let Danny keep living on the street.

"Static?"

Virgil looked back and the boy clinging to him on the hover disk. His green eyes crinkled at the corners, nervous, afraid even. Probably because Virgil hadn't said a word to him since they left the hospital. He looked over at Gear who had an equally worried expression. He forced a smile, "What's wrong? You two look like somebody died. Lighten up."

"You're not mad at me?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset. Talon is one of the few who could get help. The doc and others could help her, and she has a family to go to. But she keeps going back to Ebon."

"Sorry…"

Static sighed and looked forward, they were coming up on a BuySmart store, "What's done is done. Let's land here guys, I got an idea."

XXX

"And who exactly are you? Another popstar wannabe?" Ebon's alreadly slit-like eyes narrowed on the girl standing confidently next to Talon. She said she was here to recruit him and the rest of his crew, but that's not how things worked around here. HE was in charge. He'd dealt with princesses with powers before and always came out on top. This time would be no different.

It'd taken a long while to find a new crib after their last attempt at getting Static. The old building wasn't much, and really, Ebon couldn't care less about it, but he couldn't just let this girl come in here acting all high-and-mighty, and he _definitely_ couldn't let her walk out unless she joined up with his crew.

The girl crossed her arms and shrugged, "I prefer Rock Star; name's Ember."

Ebon smirked although no one could see it on his dark shadowy skin. "Embers fizzle out fast, and you think you can come in here and take my crew?"

"Well, yeah."

Ebon's smirk vanished. Hadn't she seen him on the news reports? What about all his street cred? She wasn't afraid at all. "I don't think so princess." He turned his back on her, "Shiv, get rid of her." Shiv had complained earlier he was getting bored; maybe this would shut him up for a while.

Shiv jumped up, a twisted excitement on his face. "With pleasure," He transformed his hands into his favorite energy blades and ran at Ember. Ember didn't move or even blink as Shiv sliced right through her with no resistance. His smile went slack in confusion.

She looked down at him from the corner of her eye. "Oh Sorry bro, did you want to try that again?"

Shiv's face contorted in rage and embarrassment and he sliced at her again, with no more resistance than before.

"She can pass through solid walls!" Talon yelled. She had jumped aside the moment Ebon had given the order, knowing Shiv wouldn't be able to do jack against Ember. She thought about helping with her sonicScreech but hesitated since Ember could easily turn it back on her. She looked at Ebon, "Ebon! She's too much for Shiv." She might even be too much for Ebon.

Ember yawned as Shiv continued stupidly slicing away at different spots on her body. "This is getting old," she said. She reached to the guitar on her back and flipped it around. She slid her hand fondly up the strings making no sound. "Yo, Talon baby, you still on my side?"

Talon froze as Ebon's eyes narrowed on her. No matter what she did she was on the losing side. Better to let them duke it out and stick with the winner.

"TALON!" Ebon roared at her, but Talon quickly jumped up onto the exposed rafters of the old building.

"Sorry Ebon, I'll just hang back and see who wins." If Ebon actually won though… she might be in more trouble than if she had sided with him and he lost.

Unlike Ebon, that answer suited Ember just fine. She plucked the first string on her guitar. Kangor yelled in pain just ouside the hall. Talon watched from above knowing this was just a trick, but the screams were agonizing, as if Kangor were being eaten alive. Even Ebon's eyes grew wider with each passing second, until he turned to yell at Shiv.

"Go!"

"Right!" Shiv ran for the door, the screaming stopped. Terrified, Shiv left to see what remained of Kangor.

Ember waited until Shiv had left the room then looked and smiled up at Talon, "Talon baby, Do yourself a favor and cover your ears for this one." Talon didn't hesitate to do as she was told.

"Don't tell my crew what to do!" Ebon roared. His shadow extended and his form grew larger, more threatening. He wanted to kill her now, but even _he_ was worried about what had befallen Kangor, and if Shiv couldn't find him, they'd have to beat the answers out of this girl. His shoulders shook with rage.

"Ooooooo-" Ember sung a mid-level note. C sharp. Ebon froze watching her. She plucked another string of her guitar, and a new note was added to her voice, this one slightly higher, she did this again and again till a whole harmony echoed in the buildings crumbling old walls. Talon kept her hands over her ears but the sound was getting through and she was starting to feel dizzy.

It was even worse for Ebon who the attack was aimed directly at. But was it even an attack? The tone was soothing; almost made Talon want to take a nap. Instead, she pressed her hands harder on her ears until all she could hear was a ringing pressure on them. The tiredness she'd felt a moment before vanished.

Looking down, Ebon was holding his head. "What- what … is this…" He took two shaky steps forward. His form had shifted back to normal, and the shadow which he had been growing across the floor, intending to swallow up Ember, had receded. His head spun and he could hardly think.

_Then don't think. Let me do the thinking for you. _

Ember's glowing blue eyes filled his mind.

_GET OUT OF MY HEAD!_

_You mean My head, tough guy. I think it's time you took a nap._

Ebon had reached his limit and they both knew it. His hands lowered from his head and Ember ended her singing. Ebon remained standing but didn't move.

Ember smiled and walked right up to him waving a hand in his face. "Well that was fun."

"What'd you do to him?" Talon landed beside Ember looking at Ebon's blank, empty eyes.

"Hypnosis. Watch." She flicked a finger across Ebon's face, teasingly, almost like a lover might. At just that moment, Shiv reentered the room.

"I can't find Kangor anywhere!" He froze seeing them so close. "What happened?"

Ember stepped forward and placed her hands on her hips. "Your boss is following me now. I think you should do the same." Shiv blinked at her, clearly shocked and confused. Ebon wouldn't follow anyone. Ember's eyes narrowed. "What'll it be?"

"What'd you do to Kangor, and Ebon?" Shiv sounded more curious than nervous.

Ember shrugged, "That bigfoot was never here. If you were smart you'd remember that he's still in lock up since last week. Saw the news report myself."

"Oh yeah…"

"As Shadow here, I think I'll use him as bait for some bigger fish. Or maybe an electric eel."

Shiv chuckled, he always loved a good pun, "Going after Static huh? Well at least it sounds fun."

Ember strummed a chord on her guitar, sounding just like a normal amplified guitar, and struck a pose with her hand up in the air. "Alright! Let's get this concert started!"

XXX

"Are you sure this will work?" Danny asked for the fifth time, and for the fifth time Static responded with,

"No, but it's worth a shot right?" The three teens sat in a public bathroom with the door magnetized shut while the black dye soaked into Danny's hair, waiting until they could wash it out. "At least this way you have a chance of getting to go home."

Danny leaned in to the mirror looking from his dye soaked hair to his green eyes, "I guess so… but the eyes are still green."

"Try not to look directly at anyone," Gear shrugged.

Danny sighed. "That shouldn't be too hard. No one but Sam actually looks at me."

Both heroes raised an eyebrow, "So who's Sam?" This was the first moment that Danny had mentioned his home or anyone related to him. They kept their identities secret for a reason, but that didn't stop them from silently wondering if Danny also had a reason, and what it might be.

"She's my mom's assistant." Danny checked his phone for the time then began washing out his hair. The pink gloves that came with the dying kit were now an ugly brown color.

Static and Gear watched him for a moment hoping he might say more. Static tried prodding a bit when he didn't, "Why does your mom need an assistant."

Danny's face scrunched up, realizing his mistake. "Uhh… no reason…" He kept his head under the sink until no more dye could be seen flowing in the water off his head. Static passed him the towel they'd snagged from a clothes line. Hopefully it wouldn't get any dye on it so they could return it, without buying a replacement.

They surveyed the results of the cheap dye job. It wasn't a perfect black like Danny's hair used to be, but it definitely wasn't silver anymore. It was more like a dark grey now, with a few streaks of silver here and there. "It makes me look old." Danny commented.

Gear laughed, "Well better than having your Dad see it's white, isn't it?"

Danny nodded, "That's for sure." He smiled back at the teen heroes. "Thank you, for helping me."

"No prob," Static offered Danny a fistbump which he gladly returned. "If you ever need us again, we usually patrol by the library every evening. You can wait for us on the roof." Danny nodded gratefully

"Well not that we've got that sorted out just in time," Gear pat both of them on the shoulders. He was smiling but also looked serious. "The Metabreed are crashing a concert hall down town." Static nodded.

"Great! Well there goes my curfew again," Static grumbled, "You head home D. We'll catch ya later."

Danny watched them leave the bathroom before he picked up his clothing and stepped into a stall to change. Hopefully, with the small control he had over his powers, hopefully they'd never have to see him again.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it has taken me so long to update this! Again I promise I won't give up on this story as it is not only fun, but it is also great story telling practice for me. I hope you all enjoy it!

Keep letting me know what you think through reviews. Critical reviews are more than welcome! Enjoy!

**Chapter 5**

**Concert Hall – 9:30 pm Monday, August 18****th**

"If we don't wrap this up quick, my pops is gonna ground me until Christmas." Static mumbled as he and Gear flew over a row of police vehicles. There had to be nearly fifty emergency personnel standing at the ready. Gear spotted the swat team captain who normally filled them in and they landed. "What's going on in there?"

"A band called Dumpty Humpty was performing when Ebon, Shiv, and Talon showed up and started wrecking the place."

"Maybe they were upset they couldn't get tickets?" Gear joked. Virgil suppressed a laugh. Just yesterday Richie had been whining about how the tickets to the concert were sold out.

"If they wanted tickets they should have waited in line like everyone else." The air around Static charged as his hover disk lifted him off the ground. To the Captain he said, "We'll check out the situation. If we need back up Gear'll contact you in the usual way." The heroes flew off before the captain could argue as always.

XXX

Inside the hall, Shiv morphed the energy around his hand into a machete and sliced through yet another speaker. They'd been here for nearly half an hour and yet no sign of Static. But why would there be? He and Talon had tried to tell the new girl that Static had some sort of curfew. Yes he would show up occasionally, but in general after 9pm Static seemed to be off the map.

"Static's not going to show. We should have just waited around and enjoyed the show. I kind of like Dumpty Humpty."

Ember sat on the largest speaker on the stage looking down on all but Talon who was perched above them in the rafters. She rolled her eyes at Shiv. "Leave the thinking to me unless you want to end up like your former boss over there."

The energy swords on his hands flickered nervously. Over on the other side of the stage, Ebon gracefully spun in a pirouette. The black shadow hadn't stopped prancing around like a ballerina on the stage since Ember had gotten bored nearly ten minutes ago. If those mind control powers ever wore off, Ebon was definitely going to rain hell on them all.

XXX

Danny reached the front of the main building where his family lived in the penthouse suite. He reached up and pulled down a strand of his unkempt and newly dyed hair, just to make sure that it was still black. It was, but that wasn't going to make it any easier to go upstairs. He'd told Static that his family probably wouldn't notice he'd been gone, but in reality his father kept such close tabs on him that he'd definitely be in for a world of hurt after staying out for an entire weekend with nothing but a quick phone call to his mother.

Danny didn't even have time to think about sneaking away for another night before his father stormed past the security gate with a furious glare that could have burned a hole through the glass front doors. "Where have you been!? Hanging out with those hooligans again?! Three days is completely unacceptable!"

"I know father I'm sorr-"

"And what the hell happened to your hair?!" Danny's heart skipped a beat, although recently that was nothing new, and he reached to his hair in a panic, but it was still black. Jack Fenton went on without noticing or caring about his son's frantic behavior. "Don't you know how to use a comb. You look like a slob!"

"I-"

"And button that shirt! You weren't raised in a barn!" As Danny desperately worked to make his appearance marginally better, the family car pulled up on the street behind him. His father walked over and opened up the door. "Get in."

"Where are we-"

"I didn't teach you to back talk! Now get in!" Danny quickly dove in the car. This wasn't just his dad's usual rage when Danny did something wrong. This was so much worse! Something serious was going on. Not that there was time to ask. Immediately Jack began conversing with the driver in hushed voices. Danny did manage to catch the phrase "destructive hoodlums," and from there it wasn't hard to figure out that this had something to do with metahumans.

"Something got damaged?" he asked hesitantly.

"Got? It's STILL being damaged. Those freaks are still there!" This was new. His father never went to the sites of any attacks until long after the contractor had given his cost-of-repair assessment. Jack seemed to sense his son's question and said, "I'm going to show you what happens to those who fall in with a bad crowd." Danny ducked his head as some old faces flashed in his memory.

XXX

Back at the concert hall, Ember took a deep breath as two new hummed tones entered her range of hearing. The vibrations were lovely, and complemented each other so perfectly. One held a high pitch which sung with a chaotic crackle. The other matched tempo with the first, only this one held a complex chord filled with intelligence and new ideas.

She blocked out the noise of her new idiot crew and listened while the air around both figures purred with sound as they discussed the situation with the police. A conflict between them would create a divine cacophony. "Our heroes have arrived." She informed the others. Ember leapt down from her seat and tightened the strap of her guitar.

She plucked at a couple strings, finding the sound she wanted before strumming a light chord. The air around them all began to vibrate, spreading away from Ember and out the doors of the hall. Judging from their melodies and that she was already manipulating Ebon, it wouldn't be possible to force them to wreak havoc, but some mind games were definitely in order.

"What did you do?" Shiv's voice was hesitant and forced. His hands shook but refused to move; the same went for the rest of his body. Up above Talon was in a similar state. Every feather was standing erect as if something dangerous was right around the corner. Ember laughed.

"Oh sorry. Guess I didn't realize it'd have a bigger effect at close range." She plucked a single note which broke the chord that had been hanging in the air, and saw the two immediately relax. "It's a sound I heard from a friend's little brother, the night of the explosion." Her face held a cold stare and though neither Talon nor Shiv had any clue idea whom she might be talking about, neither cared to ask.

When the sounds of Static and Gear entered the building Ember smiled, and strummed another cord, Ebon froze, the stared in the direction she had sensed the heroes, before melting into a dark shadow on the floor. "I'll have my marionette lead them here. I can't control anyone from a distance."

She'd commanded Ebon to act as bait, but if something went wrong she wouldn't be able to change to a new plan. Oh well, he was expendable anyway. Ember opened her mouth to tell Shiv and Tallon what to do in case it did fail, when a familiar sound entered her range. She froze and listened.

It sounded like the chords which had paralyzed her new crew, but also different. It was changing. She couldn't follow the flow of the melody. _Interesting…_

XXX

The limousine pulled up and Danny jumped out to follow his father to the police blockade. They arrived just in time for an explosion to blow out the south facing windows. Danny saw his father's upper lip curl. _He must be thinking about the repair costs…_ but Danny was more concerned with how Static and Gear were doing.

"Take a good look at it," Jack Fenton said, misinterpreting the worried look on his son's face. "That is what Bang Babies are capable of. They're dangerous and destructive. This isn't just causing trouble for us. Everyone who works at that theater is now out of a job. Even if they didn't have those freakish powers, street gangs do just as much damage and worse. Do you understand now?"

However, Danny wasn't paying any attention to his father's words. That cold feeling was creeping into his chest again. To quickly escape from his father's gaze, he said, "I'll wait in the car," and rushed off, but instead of getting into the limo, he ducked behind it. "No no… Not again," he groaned. He took several deep breaths focusing on keeping himself solid and on the ground but when something black dripped on his pants he knew he had to get away.

The dye was melting… or maybe that wasn't the best word… It was like the color was just falling right through his hairs, like they weren't even there anymore, and the color was gradually lightening back to the ghostly silver. Danny heard his father approaching the car, and did the only thing he could think of. While his hair was at least still a light grey, he ran.

He knew he'd be in huge trouble when and if he made it home.

The spandex suit, which until now had been folded tightly and tucked into the waistline of his pants, was pulled out. Danny hid behind a large van in the concert hall's parking lot and quickly changed. "I know I'll just cause more problems for Static and Gear but… I don't know what else to do."

Once he was suited up, Danny released the cold feeling he'd kept pent up in his chest. A right of light grew around him and dissipated at his head and feet, bleaching out the last of the dye, and stopping his heart. He should have been terrified, but something about letting go of the coldness was freeing. "Heh… Jaz always said I shouldn't bottle things up." The joke came with a painful twinge. Danny shook it off and flew into the theater

XXX

For the fifth time since the fight had broken out in the cramped hallway, Ebon sped away and ducked around another corner. He wasn't particularly stronger today but he seemed to be fighting smarter than usual and it left both heroes confused.

"If you keep running away Ebon, someone might think you're scared," Static taunted. Ebon hadn't gotten any solid hits on them since his initial appearance, but then again, neither had they. Where was he leading them anyway?

Gear shared his thoughts, "I feel like he's setting us up for a trap." Static shook his head still stumped by the odd behavior. "But that's not Ebon's style, and he hasn't said a word." Gear tilted his head. "What're you thinking?" he asked. They stopped midair among some broken debris. "I don't know," Static said, "But something is really wrong here."

"Static!"

Danny's yell startled both heroes. He was flying at a decent speed down the hallway.

Gear lowered the Snap Cap he'd nearly thrown and asked, "What are you doing here, D?" When Danny came to a stop next to them, he noticed that they didn't look particularly thrilled to see him. "Oh… uh… Well I was… nearby… and I saw the explosions so I thought I'd come help."

"No offense, D," Static said with a grimace, "but you're just learning to control your powers. It's dangerous here. You need to leave." Danny ducked his head. He'd figured they'd say that.

He sighed and told them truthfully, "My dad is outside and my hair was turning white again… I didn't know what to do."

Static nodded. That sounded more accurate. "It still would be better if you waited outside."

"Okay… I know you're righ–" Danny gasped mid-sentence. Both Static and Gear whirled around. Ebon slinked out from around the corner and stared at them. Gear threw the snap cap in his hand but Ebon dodged and fled again. Gear clicked his tongue and flew to look down the hallway. "Can't his weirdness give it a break?"

Static shook his head and turned back to Danny. "For now go wait at the library, we'll meet you there when we're done with this." He looked to make sure Danny was going to do as he said, but the boy was looking around. "What's wrong."

"Do you hear a guitar?"

Static paused and listened carefully. There was the sound of an electric guitar, but it was so quiet that he'd never have noticed. Gear heard it as well. "You think there's someone in a practice room?"

"The practice rooms are sound proofed." Danny said. Gear and Static looked at each other then back at Danny for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "And nobody is allowed to practice during a performance."

"Are you sure?" Static asked. Danny nodded, but that begged the question. "And how do you know this?" His face said it was yet another question he didn't want to answer about himself and he shrunk back a bit. Static sighed, "If you're sure then fine. Let's try and get Ebon out of here before he does any more damage."

"And before we spring whatever trap he's leading us to," Gear added.

Luck was not on their side. It was so unlike Ebon to run away that neither Static nor Gear could find a way to stop him. It didn't help matters that Danny continued to follow them. So far, he'd managed to not get in the way of anything. His ability to phase through solid objects came in handy several times. "That's the hall where Dumpty Humpty was playing," Danny told them as Ebon slid under the door.

"He led us in circles around this place just to get us here? What's the point?" Gear grumbled. Static was feeling beyond frustrated now. He'd thrown around so many nova bursts, and electric strikes he was feeling really low on power. If the goal was to wear him out, it was a smart plan.

Mustering up a small but powerful charge into his fist, Static poised himself to shove through the door, ready to blast away at Ebon or anyone else. "Static, wait," Danny jumped in front of him. "Let me look in first. I can turn invisible and phase through the door."

"No offense D, but I'm not sure I trust your control yet." Though through the hallways, it had become evident that he'd gotten better. He also seemed to be more confident while using them. "Besides we don't know what using those powers will do to you. I think it's best you hang back."

"But now what would be the fun in that!?" The yell from nowhere was followed a roar of an electric guitar which rattled both their teeth, and the thick soundproofed wall of the main hall. The concrete and plaster crumbled away, dust filling the air. Static quickly covered his face and put on his goggles. The air around him filled with an electrical charge as he blew the dust away.

Ember stared at them from the stage. "I knew the battery and the toaster would be coming to the show, but I had no idea you'd be trying to play hero again." Static and Gear had their attacks at the ready but her comment caught them off guard. Not to mention, she wasn't looking at them.

Every muscle in Danny's body shook with rage. "You!" The eerie glow that had surrounded his body, ever since he'd allowed his powers to fill him, grew brighter. Green light focused around his hands and his eyes shone with the same terrifying power.

Static saw it before Gear did and dove over top his friend, shoving them both to the ground as an explosion of "ecto-energy" launched Danny forward. Straight at Ember.


End file.
